It is well-known that various particulate water soluble high molecular weight organic substances agglomerate when wetted by an aqueous solution thus making it difficult to disperse the particles in an aqueous solution. These polymers are employed to thicken aqueous solutions, to increase their viscosity, to provide friction reduction properties, as flocculants, and for other functional purposes. Various methods have been developed as an aid for dispersing these high molecular weight substances in water. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,879,268, it is taught to slightly cross-link a high molecular weight organic compound containing hydroxyl groups (e.g., cellulose ethers and starches) with small amounts of formaldehyde or a dialdehyde such as glyoxal. Agglomeration is substantially avoided when the substance is subsequently dispersed in an aqueous solution. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,072,635 and 3,475,334 teach further refinements in such cross-linking methods and methods of fracturing subterranean formations employing such treated high molecular weight organic substances. It also has been suggested to employ surfactant coated particulate high molecular weight organic substances or to vary the particle size of the particulate materials to improve dispersibility in aqueous fluids. Although these known techniques are somewhat effective in increasing the dispersibility of such organic materials, they have certain drawbacks. For example, these methods generally cannot be employed to adjust the rate at which the organic materials disperse or dissolve to thereby thicken the aqueous solution. Furthermore, the methods disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,879,268 and 3,072,635 require carefully controlled chemical reactions and are also limited to a very specific class of organic polymers.
The present discovery concerns a method whereby not only is the dispersibility of such high molecular materials improved, but control over dispersion and/or solubility can also be achieved. Moreover the invention is applicable to a wide variety of organic polymers.